


Cuphead Drabbles

by SapphireLuna8768610



Category: Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: Best Friends, Brother Feels, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Angst, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Cuphead is Adorable, Cups can be a jerk sometimes, Cute Kids, Don't Deal with the devil kids, Don't bet your younger brother's soul, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, I Blame Tumblr, I Made Myself Cry, I Tried, Imma go, It is very dangerous, Mugman is Precious, Not even for one grand, Overprotective Cuphead, Overprotective Mugman, What Was I Thinking?, What am I still doing here?, Why Did I Write This?, bye
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 00:09:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14883894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphireLuna8768610/pseuds/SapphireLuna8768610
Summary: Just some drabbles involving my two favorite boys! Hope you enjoy!! (No slash, just pure brotherly fluff)





	1. Acrophobia

It was a sunny day outside, and Cuphead, along with his brother, were walking off to defeat the next monster. If they wanted to be honest with themselves, they weren't really in the best shape. Mugman was only a little scraped and bruised, a crack on his head, but Cuphead had many bruises all over his body, bloody cuts, and there were at least 3 cracks on the side of his head.

But Cuphead was tough. And he had one hell of an ego, so he wasn't really one to admit that he was in pain. Mugman was a little different, willing to confess when he was hurting, but not too often. He wanted to look just as tough as Cuphead. Their whole lives, Cuphead was always protecting Mugs, being the strong brother and always sticking up for him, and always getting hurt for him.

However, Mugman wasn't like that. He was always the weak, sensitive crybaby who could barely do anything. He always felt like he was in his brother's way all the time, no matter how much Cups stated that he wasn't. Mugs felt like he was holding Cup back; like Cup was holding back because of him.

"You're being ridiculous, Mugs," Cups would say, throwing an reassuring arm around him. "You're my brother! Why would ya think you're in the way?"

"Well, everyone else thinks so, and... I dunno... I always feel like I'm too weak to even be your brother." Mug would retort honestly and miserably, avoiding Cuphead's eyes. Until Cups would force him to look at him. 

"C'mon! Who cares about what those morons think? They're just haters who are trying ta bring us down! Don't let it get to ya, Mugsy. Besides, if it weren't for you keeping me in check, I'd be getting into all kinds a' trouble right now! Just don't pay attention, will ya? I love ya."

He would then kiss Mugman's blue nose affectionately, and Mugs would find it hard to not mouth, "okay", and smile.

"Mugs? Hey, Mugs! Ya in there!?"

Mugman jolted back to reality due to his brother shaking him. "S-Sorry, Cups." He apologized sheepishly.

Cups gave him a look, "Ya know, ya happen ta be spacing out a lot more than usual lately. Anything up?"

Mugs smiled, shaking his head. "Nah, it's nothing. I'm fine!"

"Ya sure?"

"Yup"

"Okay, I guess. Anyways, what's the next monster we gotta fight?"

"Uhh..." Mugman said, pulling out the long list full of the devil's debtors. "...Someone named... 'Grim Matchstick'. I'm pretty sure he's just around the corner past the carnival." He said, rolling up the list and putting it away. He glanced towards his brother nervously, "S-So, how strong do you think this guy is?"

Cuphead shrugged, "Eh, I don't know... can't be that strong, I mean, we beat the last few didn't we? We'll beat this one then, too." He smirked. "I can't wait ta kick this guy's ass! The sooner we collect all these contracts, the sooner we get ta go home! Then all of Inkwell Isle will be saved!"

Mugman grinned at his enthusiasm. His brother was always so determined. Another trait to be admired when it comes to him.

"Hey, look, Mugs!" Cups beamed, pointing, "I see it! Looks like we're here, bro!"

Mugs gazed at where Cups was pointing at; his eyes widened to the size of saucers and he gulped. The tower was just so... so... high. For some reason, his heart was going a mile a minute and his head felt heavy.

Cup chuckled, beginning to run off. "C'mon, bro! I'll race ya! Last one there has ta do the other's laundry for a week when we get home!"

Mug's eyes widened. "H-Hold up a minute, Cups! Wait up!" He exclaimed, and sprinted after his brother.  
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"Geez, it's about time we made it out here! I thought that stupid staircase would never end!" Cuphead panted once they reached the top of the tower.

Mugs slowly walked out behind Cups, beginning to shake a little bit. "Y-Yeah..." He mumbled, standing close to Cuphead, leaning into him a little bit, hoping that Cups wouldn't notice. And he didn't. Mugs didn't want his brother to worry about him and wonder if something was wrong with him when what he should be concentrating on was battling the enemy.

"HEY!" Cups called out into the vast skies. "UHH, GRIM MATCHSTICK, SIR? MY NAME'S CUPHEAD, AND MY BROTHER MUGMAN. WE'RE HERE TO COLLECT YOUR-"

"My soul?" A loud voice boomed out from the blue sky. "Oh, please! You have no need to introduce yourselves to me. I know exactly who you are! You're those little brats who have been stealing people's souls!"

Cuphead narrowed his eyes. "Hey, first of all, we ain't stealin' people's souls! They owe us their souls anyways! We'd rather it be your souls than ours anyways! It's not like we're wanting to be doing this in the first place! We don't have a choice!" Mugman gulped, hiding behind his brother.

"Say what you want! If you want my soul, you're gonna have to fight me for it! ...Unless you're too scared."

"Why, you...!" Cuphead snarled, stepping forward. "C'mon, Mugs! Let's go kick that dragon's ass!"

"Um...y-yeah..." Mugman swallowed. He finally looked up and he felt his heart plummet into his stomach. It was so far up in the sky... just like when they were little... it was so high...

Mugs felt his adrenaline run and he began trembling all over as he felt his childhood fears return to him. He abruptly reached out and gripped Cuphead's shoulder, holding it like it was his lifeline.

Cuphead jumped, startled, and turned to his brother. "You okay, Mugs?" He asked, concerned. "Something up?"

Another tremor shook Mugman's body and his heart pounded a mile a minute. His eyes were wide and some sweat trickled down the sides of his face. Letting his anxiety get the best of him, he gazed up at Cups guiltily.

"C-C-Cups," Mugs stammered, his breaths beginning to come out shallow and fast. "I-I c-c-can't...I-I can't do th-this..."

Cuphead's frown deepened, and he reached up, gradually prying his brother's hand off his shoulder. "How come, Mugs?" He asked calmly, though he was beyond worried about him, wondering why he was panicking so suddenly. "What's wrong?"

Mugs didn't answer, and it took Cup a minute, before finally... it clicked. Cuphead's eyes widened once realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Of course. The incident when they were little. Mugman wouldn't stop crying, and he refused to let go of Cuphead the whole time, no matter how much the elder brother comforted him.

*Flashback*  
Mugman sobbed uncontrollably, gripping onto Cuphead's shirt, his whole small body trembling. 

"Mugs," Cup said softly, holding him close. "Hey, Hey, it's okay. We're almost down. C'mon, just a little more…"

"No!" Mugman exclaimed, startling Cup. "I can't! I can't do it! Cuppy, please don't make me! I'm gonna fall! I'm gonna die!" 

He wailed, and sobbed afresh. 

"Mugsy, c'mon now. It's okay. I won't let anything happen to ya. Ya ain't gonna die, alright? Not as long as I'm around. I'd never let that happen. Look at me, Mugs." The cupling said, and lifted his brother's face up, which had tears rolling down his face and Cups wiped them away. 

"We have ta get down, alright? Ya wanna see Elder Kettle again, don't ya? The ol' man's probably worried about us now. C'mon, let's go see him. I won't let you fall, alright?" 

Mugman, who was still sobbing, sniffled. "P-Promise?" He choked out. 

"Yeah, of course I do." 

"O-O-Okay…" 

Cuphead smiled a little bit and slowly but surely climbed down, holding his brother all the while. He helped his little brother jump down, and immediately pulled him into his arms, beginning to walk home. Mugman buried his face in Cuphead's chest and sobbed, holding onto him like his lifeline. Despite the fact that they were down, he was still petrified.  
When they got home, Mugman's sobs had slowed down into sniffles, whimpers, and small cries, but he still hugged Cuphead. 

Elder Kettle asked Cup what happened, and Cuphead explained everything as he sat down on the couch. 

Cuphead allowed Mugs to let out his remaining tears, while petting his back and whispering soothing words to him, and the younger did, eventually falling asleep, leaning into him. 

*End Flashback*

Mugman's fear of heights. 

Cuphead had forgotten all about his brother's fear. During the incident, he had forgotten as well, and they climbed up too high. So high to the point where Mugman was scared to death to go back down.

Mugman was petrified after it. He didn't even want to go outside to play for a long time, wouldn't eat or sleep, and he barely talked to anyone, not even Cuphead, unless it was to mutter, "Cuppy, I'm scared...", or to constantly beg or ask Cups to stay by him or sleep with him in case he had a nightmare about it, or began to panic at the very thought of remembering what happened.

Cuphead didn't want to see him like that again. He never wanted to see him like that again. And now won't be an exception.

Cups smiled softly, resting a reassuring hand on Mug's shoulder. "Don't worry, Mugs! I get that you're scared. Ya know, ya don't have ta go. I can handle that ass."

Mugs was both relieved and scared even more by this. "S-Seriously?" He choked. "I-I don't know, Cups... will you be okay fighting him on your own? I-I mean, I can just suck it up and-"

"No. I'm sure, Mugs. I don't want ta see you like that again. I'll be fine, alright? Promise!"

"D-Do you really promise? You'll come back not too hurt?"

Yeah, sure I will!"

Mugs looked down uncertainly. He took a few seconds before silently nodding for his brother to go. Cups grinned and ran off, hopping from cloud to cloud and eventually disappearing into the distance. As Cups moved out of view, Mugs couldn't help but feel like he had made the worst mistake possible.

Mugs waited anxiously for his brother to come back down, wincing at hearing attacks being fired high up in the skies. He knew it wouldn't take long-Cups was the strongest person in Inkwell Isle there was. He beat all the other enemies without breaking a sweat, so he just knew that his brother could do the same thing with this one.

Something snapped Mugman out of his thoughts. It wasn't noise that did so. It was silence. An eerie silence. Mugs was confused. Did Cups win? Did he lose? Either way, why wasn't he climbing down at all? The young boy felt an uneasy feeling settle itself in the pit of his stomach. He had to go see if Cups was alright! He would never forgive himself if Cuphead got hurt because he was too scared to go with him!

Mugs gulped. He walked towards the clouds high up in the sky. Without even thinking, he freely jumped across three of them in a big rush. He glanced behind him, smiling a little bit. "H-Hey... that wasn't so bad... it was kinda fun, actually..." He said. He then shook his head, returning to reality. "Focus, Mugs. Let's just find Cup and get out of here."

Once he reached a certain peak in the sky, that feeling returned to him. Why hasn't he found his brother yet? He went exactly to where Cups was battling the monster, and yet...  
"CUPHEAD!" Mugman yelled loudly, beginning to panic. "CUPS, WHERE ARE YOU!?" No answer. "C'MON, CUPS, THIS ISN'T FUNNY! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

Still no answer. Mugs swallowed hard, "CUP, COME OUT! I'M SERIOUS, BRO! COME ON, WHERE ARE YOU? YOU'RE STARTING TO FREAK ME OUT!" A final no response.

Tears welled up in Mug's eyes and he fell to his knees. Was... Cuphead... gone...?" Mugs shut his eyes tightly and he buried his face in his gloved hands, beginning to sob.  
A few minutes passed, and Mug was still crying, but his head shot up when he heard someone screaming.

"INCOMING!" Screamed a monster falling from the sky, and Mugman yelped, jumping to his feet, and quickly moving out of the way as what looked like Grim Matchstick continued to plummet through the skies.

"W-What?" Mugs muttered, scratching his head in confusion. "Wait, that means..."

"Hiya, Mugs!" Greeted a familiar voice. Mugman spun around to see Cuphead on his knees, peeking from around the cloud above him with a big grin. He had some rips and tears in his clothes, and bloody scratches and bruises. But for the most part, he was okay, just like he had promised his brother.

"Cuphead!" Mugman exclaimed with immense relief, tears filling his eyes, a smile plastering across his face. "You're okay!"

Cups grunted, getting to his feet. He jumped from the cloud he was on and down onto his brother's, walking over to him. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He asked, grinning. "I promised ya, didn't I?" He paused, his expression turning to surprised. "Wait, you're up here. Does that mean your not afraid anymore?" He asked hopefully.

Mugman chuckled, nodding his head yes. Cup grinned, pulling his brother into a tight hug. "Nice job, Mugsy! I'm so proud of ya! Ya faced your fears after so long! Just wondering, what made ya finally do it?"

"You" Mugman admitted, burying his head in Cuphead's shoulder. "You were taking longer than usual to defeat the boss, so I got worried. I decided that no fear is worth losing you, so I came up to find you. I'm just glad that you're alright."

Cup's grin grew and he stroked Mug's back. He then said, "Hey, guess what?" Mugs pulled away and Cups smirked, "I finally managed to get that selfish prick's soul! He was stubborn, I'll tell ya! But I got it! We've only got a few more monsters to fight left, but what do ya say we get outta here and take a break first?"

Mugs sniffed and grinned, "Yeah! Let's go!" The two brothers walked out, Cups holding Mugs close and Mugs resting his head on his brother's shoulder.


	2. Rejection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Cuphead bets both his and Mugman's souls, Mugman decides that he's done with Cuphead's recklessness and foolishness and leaves his brother behind. But how long will it take for him to realize his mistake? Or will he even realize it at all?

Cuphead knew that Mugman was going to be angry from the start. He wasn't expecting him to be all positive and encouraging, after all. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if Mugs exploded at him! He just wanted him to do something.

The younger boy had been silent the whole walk home, not saying a word. They were halfway home when Cups muttered, "H-Hey, Mugs... it's gonna be okay, alright? I'm gonna-"

"Are you kidding me!?" Mugs yelled, facing him, and Cups jumped. Okay, he was a little surprised his brother raised his voice at him. Mugman wasn't usually the yelling type. It was always Cups who was the hothead and getting angry easily. But this wasn't easily. Mugman had a right to be beyond pissed.

"No, Cups! Quit pretending like everything's okay! Everything's not alright! We just gambled away our souls! You just gambled away our souls! And now we have to be killers and chase down the stupid devil's debtors, something he should be doing himself for the record, and collect souls! I don't wanna be a murderer, Cup! But we have to be! And all because you can't use your head!"

"Mugs-" Cuphead tried, but Mugman cut him off again while shaking his head, growling, stepping more and more toward him, Cuphead holding his hands up and backing up each time Mugman came closer and closer to him. "No, Cuphead! You're gonna listen to me for once in your life! This whole time I've had to be listening to you, and now it's my turn! Cup, you're so damn reckless all of the time! It's like you don't even consider the fate of others around you when it comes to your making decisions! It's like you don't even care or something! Well, it's about time you start caring about me and others around you for once!"

Cup's eyes narrowed and he glared equally at his brother, "First of all, what the hell makes ya think I don't care!? I do care, and ya know that! I'm the one who's been standing up for you your whole life!"

"What!? Because I wasn't strong enough to do it myself?!"

"I never said that!"

"Yeah, but you're thinking it! Just say it! You think I'm weak and that I've never been strong enough to stand up for myself!"

"That's. not. what. I. said. or. think." Cups growled, his hands clenching into fists. "You're twisting my words around, Mugs! Never once did I think you were weak! But since ya want me to say it soooo badly, then fine, I will! You've always been a huge crybaby our whole lives since we've been brothers, I've always had ta stand up against bullies for ya because ya were never strong enough to stand up for yourself, and for the record, I always got hurt for ya, too! I always came home with some kinds of bruises or scratches, or bloody injuries, or black eyes or whatever, and it was all because of you! Because you were so concerned about what those asses thought of ya! You're always so worried about what others will think if ya make one single wrong move! Hell, you were concerned if you made a right one, too! And not only that, you're claiming I don't give a dang about ya!?"

It was Cuphead's turn to stomp over to Mugs, and he did so, getting up close to him and poking him roughly in the chest. "Huh. Funny! Because the way I remember it, I was always there for ya! Whenever you had a nightmare, I'm the one who always woke up in the middle of the night, and I was the one who held ya and lulled ya back ta sleep! Also, whenever ya got bullied, I always fought off those assholes for ya and took ya home to make sure you would be okay! I was also always there for ya through those rough and stupid stages of your life where you claimed you had it sooo bad, and I know I yell a lot at ya, but you've screamed a lot at me too, and I happened to let ya instead of barking back every time, unlike you! So yeah, I did all of that, but noooo, I don't care one bit about ya!"

Mugman shook his head, fighting back tears. "Maybe I'm weak, but at least I think before I act!" He hissed, pointing at his own head. "You should have never rolled that dice back at the casino! You should have thought of my safety first before you did anything! But noo, you were so desperate for money! Typical Cuphead! Always thinking about what will make him happy!"

"Oh, so I'm supposed to drop whatever I'm doing to consult with you first before I do it!? Thanks a lot, I'll remember that the next time! Sorry I don't think all the time!" Cuphead screamed angrily, the milk in his head boiling and bubbling wildly, some milk splashing out due to how angry and pissed off he was at his brother.

"YOU GAMBLED OUR FREAKING SOULS AWAY!" Mugman screamed back, his voice cracking. "YOU WERE SO FOCUSED ON THOSE EASY RICHES THAT YOU DIDN'T EVEN THINK OF THE CONSEQUENCES IF YOU LOST! WE COULD HAVE JUST WALKED OUT OF THERE, BUT YOU JUST HAD TO STAY AND TRY TO GET THAT MONEY! I BET IF YOU DID WIN, YOU WOULD HAVE HOGGED IT ALL TO YOURSELF, LEAVE ME AND ELDER KETTLE TO ROT AND RUN OFF SOMEWHERE, AND FORGET ALL ABOUT US! YOU'D FORGET ALL ABOUT ME! AND NEITHER OF US WOULD EVER SEE YOU AGAIN! I BET YOU DIDN'T EVEN THINK OF THAT, HUH?! THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE SO SELFISH AND SELF-ASBORBED, YOU DON'T CARE TO!"

"GEE, I'M SORRY, I AIN'T PERFECT! HOW THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WE WERE GONNA LOSE SO EASILY IN THE FIRST PLACE?! YA MAKE ONE MISTAKE IN FRONT OF MUGS, AND HE GOES CRAZY ABOUT IT! THAT STUPID DEVIL COULD HAVE TRICKED ME FOR ALL WE KNOW, SO WHY ARE YOU BLAMING ME!? IT WAS A MISTAKE, MUGMAN! GET OVER IT!"

"GET OVER IT!?" Mugman repeated, shaking with rage. "Get over it!? Cuphead, I swear, I...I...I HATE YOU!" He screamed, so loudly that he was sure that all of Inkwell Isle had heard him. Cup's eyes widened, bewildered and shocked beyond belief. "I...I hate you!" Mugman repeated, gazing down at the ground, his gloved hands clenched in tight fists. "You never think of others, and I hate you for that! You're so selfish, and reckless all the time, and your always putting others in danger! You're a horrible brother! I wish I never had one in the first place!"

...Silence filled the air. Mugman stared at the ground for a few minutes, still angry. When he looked back up, he was shocked to see Cups unmoved by his words.

Cuphead swallowed, "Well," He started slowly, meeting Mug's icy gaze. "I guess if that's the case, then you won't be needing to go on this journey then, will ya?"

Mugman glared at him. "...No," He muttered. "Guess not." The two turned and they parted ways, Mugman leaving the quickest. Cuphead glanced at the empty trail behind him and choked on a sob, wiping aggressively at his eyes.

It was for the best, anyways. The last thing he wanted was for his brother to die because of his foolish actions. With that thought, the red cup brother turned and disappeared into the darkness.  
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That night, Mugs slowly trudged over to his house and opened the door, walking in to be greeted by Elder Kettle. "Hello, Mugman!" Elder Kettle greeted with a grin. "Did you boys have a nice adventure?"  
Mugs gave him a small faux smile. "Hi, gramps. Yeah, it was interesting, I'll give you that."

"Well, that sounds promising. Why don't you sit down? I made some food not too long ago, and you may as well eat it before it gets cold!"

Dinner was silent and awkward. Mugman played with his food more than he really ate it, poking at it with his fork with his one hand, and another had his head resting in it, his elbow on the table, lost in deep thought.

Elder Kettle frowned, sensing a problem. He cleared his throat, grabbing Mug's attention. "So?" He said. "Where's your brother?"

Elder Kettle lost his youngest grandson's attention as quickly as he got it and Mugs merely shrugged, looking back down at his food. "I don't know," He muttered, purposely making it loud enough for his grandpa to hear. "Sorry, should I care?"

Kettle was startled at this, and his frown deepened. "Oh no." He said gravely. "What happened?"

Mugman shrugged again. "Mugman," Kettle said again, this time more sternly, causing Mugs to look up at him, except this time gazing directly at him. "Tell me what happened, Mugman."

"...You'd be mad if I told you," Mugman choked, "...You'd hate me even."

Kettle's gaze softened slightly. "No matter how dumb or ridiculous it is, no mistake could ever make me hate either of my grandsons. Ever. But still, I need you to tell me. I promise, I'll stay calm and I won't hate you."

The blue clad boy sighed heavily, tears beginning to shine in his eyes. "...I'm sorry, gramps," He started shakily. "We messed up. We messed up big this time. You know the casino you kept telling us over and over not to go into? We went there. And then Cuphead started gambling, and gambling, and he kept on winning, but then... the devil himself came along, and he told us that if we won against him, then we could have all the money in the casino, but if we lost, we owe him our souls. I knew it wasn't right, and I begged Cups not to do it, but... he wouldn't listen to me! And then we lost, he spared us, but now we have to collect his debtor's souls by midnight tomorrow! I'm sorry, grandpa, I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry!" Mugs ended, bursting into tears, burying his face in his hands.

Kettle sighed. He knew this would happen one day. His grandsons would make a mistake so big that they would have to figure it out without him. What worried him was that it would be big just like this. But now wasn't the time to be disappointed or angry. Now was the time to help his boys like he always does.

Elder Kettle reached out and touched Mug's shoulder, and the blue clad looked up at him with tears streaming down his face. "...That's... not it, is it?" Kettle sighed, rubbing his grandson's back.

Mug sniffled, shaking his head. "N-No," He croaked. "M-Me and Cups, w-we got into a h-huge fight on the way home. I was really mad at him for gambling our souls away, and he got mad too, and so we fought really, really bad. I told him some pretty horrible things, even more bad then what he told me, and then we just left each other, and I don't know where he is now!" He sobbed, full on hugging his grandpa. "He thinks I'm weak, gramps!"

Kettle sighed, hugging his grandson tightly and petting his back. "Now, Mugman," He started softly. "That's not true. I've raised you and your brother your whole lives, and I know him well enough to know that he does not think that you're weak."

"B-But... *Hic* He said so! *Sob* He said so.."

"He was just angry. You know Cuphead, when he gets upset like that, he often says things out of line. That doesn't mean that he meant what he said. He was mad, that's all. Listen to me, Mugman. Your brother loves you more than anyone else we know. He values you deeply, and he'll sacrifice anything, even himself, to keep you safe. He's always been there for you, and he always will be there for you. It may not seem like it now, but he really does love you. Which is why you have to go after him. I know that you're upset with him right now, but he is your brother."

"But what if he doesn't forgive me for what I said?" Mugman whimpered.

Kettle smiled, squeezing Mugman's shoulder reassuringly. "He will. Believe me, he will. Now go get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow."

"...Alright..." Mugs sniffled, slowly pulling away from Kettle. "Night, gramps." He muttered, and slowly walked up to his and Cuphead's room, shutting the door behind him. He looked up above Cuphead's bed and saw a picture of Mugs attacking him in a hug, and Cuphead grinning bashfully while hugging him back with one hand, trying to keep his balance. Mug's eyes filled with tears and he sniffled, climbing into his own bed as he buried his face in his pillow, sobbing, crying until he eventually fell asleep.  
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Mugs groaned, gradually opening his eyes. When he did so, his half open eyes widened to see that he was on the ground in front of the devil's casino. Grunting, he picked himself up. "How did I get here?" He mumbled, bewildered. "I don't even remember getting up this morning or saying goodbye to gramps..." Abruptly, his eyes widened. "Cuphead!" He said under his breath, and he rushed into the casino.

The young boy quietly wandered the casino, trying his hardest to go unnoticed by anyone, including King Dice in one room.

"Aha, Cuphead!" Boomed a voice from in one room and Mugs gasped, running over and hiding behind a corner, peeking out. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when he saw his older brother in front of the devil himself.

"Wonderful job! Join my team!" The devil cheered wickedly.

"...Only if you swear you'll stay the hell away from my brother and grandpa." Cuphead ordered, sounding a little scared, hesitant, but most importantly confident and certain. 

Mug's gasped, beginning to shake. "Cuphead, no!" He whimpered.

The devil smirked. "Of course! A deal is a deal, after all!"

Cuphead nodded silently, and began to hand him the contracts. Mugman gasped and began to run out. "CUPS, NO!" He screamed. But it was too late! The devil smirked, grabbing the contracts just as Mugs reached his brother.

Mugman gaped when he saw the deformed appearance of his brother. Tears welled up in his eyes. "Cups..." He muttered. "This is my fault... I never should've left... I'm sorry!" He sobbed, falling to his knees.

The devil chuckled demonically. "And now it's your turn!" He boomed.

Mugs gasped and looked up; all at once, everything turned black.  
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Mugman screamed, shooting up in bed. He breathed heavily and gasped for air, his eyes impossibly wide. After he calmed down a little, he glanced over at Cuphead's empty bed and realization hit him like a brick. The boy jumped out of his bed and rushed out the bedroom, and out the door while grabbing his hoodie in the process.

Mugman was a very fast runner; almost as fast as Cuphead, who was one of the fastest in Inkwell Isle. It didn't take him long to get to where he wanted to go, saying a quick "hi" and "bye" as he sped by whenever somebody greeted him. Sweat trickled down the sides of his face and he felt his legs beginning to give in, but he kept running.

Finally, when he began to reach the casino, he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw what looked like Cuphead in the distance walking towards the doors. "CUPS, STOP!" Mugs yelled, and Cuphead jumped, startled, slowly turning around.

Mugs skidded to a stop, his chest heaving with his heavy breathing and he wiped away some sweat with the back of his gloved hand. He regretted wearing a hoodie and running at such a pace at the same time.

/Please let this be the real him.../ Mugman thought. /Please let it be him...!/

Cuphead slowly turned around, and looked at him, startled. "Mugs...?" He uttered. "What're you doing here? It's too-w-woah!"

Mugs sobbed, falling into Cuphead's arms and wrapping his arms around his neck, burying his face in his chest. "I'm so sorry, Cups! I never should of left you! You're stupid, selfish, and reckless at times, but you're also really kind, loving, and selfless all the time, and you're the best brother I could ever ask for! Please, Please! I love you so much, and I could never hate you! I love you, so please don't do this! Don't leave me!" Mugs ended in a choked sob, his tears soaking Cup's shirt.

"I'm sorry too, Mugs" Cups said softly, hugging his brother tightly, rubbing the younger boy's back. "I'm sorry that I threw that dice in the first place. But I promise, I'll finish this just like I started it. It'll be okay, I promise."

"I don't hate you...I love you so much...You're the best brother ever..." Mugman said, his voice muffled.

"Thanks, Mugsy. You're forgiven. And you're not weak, alright? You're the strongest guy I know. I love ya too." Cuphead said with a big grin, pulling away and caressing his brother's face, wiping away his tears before kissing his head, causing Mugs to giggle.

"You ready to go beat the devil and set things right, Mugs?" Cuphead asked, smiling. Mugman nodded. "Yeah. Let's go!" Mugman and Cuphead walked towards the casino, hands intertwined, ready to settle things once and for all.


	3. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mugman has a terrible nightmare and it's up to Cuphead to comfort him.

Mugs and Cups were up late one night, playing video games against each other in their shared bedroom. The two were sitting close to each other on Mug's bed. Cuphead groaned, falling back on the bed and Mugs cheered at his victory.

Mugs smirked at his brother. Cups rolled his eyes. "Alright... what do ya want this time?" Mugman giggled, falling back next to his brother. "Well... do you think that you can maybe bake some more of those cookies tomorrow?"

Cups smiled. "Yeah, I guess I can deal with that." He said, and the two boys laughed.

"Boys!" Elder Kettle said, opening the door. "It's time for you to go to sleep. Head on to bed."

"Awwwww" Cups and Mugs whined, sitting up. "Can't we stay up a little longer, grandpa?" Mugs begged. "Yeah, c'mon ol' man, please?" Cups added.

Kettle narrowed his eyes at them, "Would you like to be grounded for two weeks, or go to sleep?" Cuphead and Mugman gulped, looking at each other. "We'll go to bed!" Elder Kettle grinned. "Good. Night, boys." "Night, gramps." Kettle shut the door.

Cuphead hopped off Mug's bed and switched off the TV, putting their games away. Mugs yawned, laying down and pulling his blanket over him. "Hey, Cups?"

Cup turned to him. "Yeah, Mugs?" He riposted. Mug smiled. "You won't forget your promise tomorrow, right?" Cuphead grinned. "Nah, of course I won't! I'll start baking 'em when we get up in the morning."

"Yay!"  
Cups walked over and made sure his brother's blanket was pulled up enough and he was comfortable, which he was. "Night, Cups." Mugman yawned sleepily. "I love ya."

"I love ya too, Mugsy. Sweet dreams." Cups said and kissed his brother's blue nose before walking over to his own bed and climbing in. He pulled his blanket up on himself and the two brothers turned over on their own sides, drifting into a deep sleep.  
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Cuphead groaned, slowly opening his eyes. The red cup brother glanced at the clock and saw that it was 1:30 in the morning, not even close to being light out. The young boy groaned softly once he realized that he couldn't go back to sleep. Agitated, he gradually climbed out of bed, careful not to wake his brother up, and he walked out of the room to go get a glass of some warm milk.

When the red clad brother walked back in, his eyes widened slightly when he heard some what sounded like screaming and yelling coming from his and his brother's room. Once his eyes readjusted to the darkness, he saw his brother tossing and turning in his bed, yelling, mumbling and screaming inaudible words.

Cups rushed over, placing the milk on their nightstand in the process, and went over to Mug's bed, getting up next to him, shaking him wildly. "Mugs, Mugs, wake up!" He whispered desperately. "C'mon, Mug, open your eyes! Your only dreaming! Wake up, Mugs, wake up!"

Mugman shot up, breathing heavily, drenched in a cold sweat. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates, tears were streaming down his face, he was trembling, and sweat trickled down the sides of his head. Mugs looked to his side and once he saw his brother sitting there beside him, even more tears streamed down his face.

"CUPPY!" Mugman exclaimed, launching himself at his brother and immediately latching onto him. "Cups, your alive...!" The poor boy sobbed into Cup's shoulder, his own violently wrenching at the intensity of his sobs.

Cuphead hugged his trembling brother as tightly as he could, rubbing his back. "Shh... it's okay, Mugs... I'm here... it was only a nightmare..." He soothed. He hugged his brother and rubbed his back, kissing his forehead now and then, and wiping away his tears while mouthing comforting words to him.

After a few minutes, Mug's sobs died down, and Cups figured this was the best time to talk to him. "Hey," He started softly. "Are you ready to tell me now?"

Mugs wanted to say no, but he knew that he couldn't. Denying it wouldn't help at all, and his brother's voice sounded slightly pleading to him. He really wanted to help him, and he won't push him away. He needed Cups right now.

Mug sucked in a breath, exhaling before slowly nodding. "Y-Yeah, okay." He croaked, his voice muffled from his face being buried in Cuphead's shirt. He pulled away and sniffled, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

Cuphead had an arm around his younger brother, holding him close while pulling the blanket up on both of them. Mugs leaned on his brother, his head resting on Cup's shoulder. Cups waited patiently for Mug to tell him while rubbing his back softly. He didn't want to rush him. Mug was still upset, and Cuphead didn't want to make it worse by forcing him to say something, making him cry again.

"...We were back fighting the devil," Mugman started, and Cups immediately looked at him. Mugs stared down, his fingers twiddling the sheets. His eyes were red and puffy from crying and his voice was hoarse.

"I...I guess that I wasn't paying attention, and... he was aiming for me, but I didn't look in time... b-but you pushed me out of the way, and...you got hurt for me! I kept on begging and begging for you to wake up, but you just...wouldn't! You were gone, and it was all my fault! And then the devil killed me, and...it was all so real! I thought I lost you, Cups!" Mugs cried, burying his face in the crook of Cup's neck.

Cuphead sighed softly, rubbing his brother's back. "It's okay, Mugs," He said comfortingly, smiling. "It was just a bad dream. That stupid devil can't mess with us anymore. And that would never happen, trust me. I'd never let either of us die, no matter what. Okay?"

Mugman sniffled, nodding. "Okay..." He mumbled. Cups tilted his brother's face up and wiped away his remaining tears.

He then reached over and grabbed the glass of warm milk, handing it to his brother. "Here, bro. Drink this." Mugs took it and drank some of the milk, handing it back to his brother. "Cups?" He asked as his brother put the glass on the nightstand. "Can you sleep with me tonight?"

Cups grinned. "Of course, bro. C'mon, let's get some sleep. Gramps will be mad tomorrow if he finds out we didn't get any rest."

Mugs nodded. The two brothers laid down in bed, Mug snuggling up next to Cups, resting his head on his brother's chest.

"Umm, hey, Cup?" He yawned, beginning to feel sleepy. "Mmmhmm?" Cup replied, looking down at him. "Can you promise me something?" "Anything."

Mugs looked down. "Promise you'll never leave me." He said, snuggling closer to his brother. "I love you so much, Cuppy, your the best brother I could ever ask for. I can't imagine living without you, or the world without you, and I can't stand the thought of losing you."

"And you won't have to ever live without me." Cups whispered softly, tiredly grinning. "You'll never lose me, I swear. I'm not going anywhere. I love you more than anything, and I'll always be here for you." He finished, kissing his brother affectionately on the forehead.

"...Thanks, Cup...I love you..." Mugs mumbled sleepily with a big grin and fell asleep in his brother's arms, his head resting heavily on his chest.

"I love you too, bro." Cups whispered and kissed him a final time on the nose before slowly falling asleep himself, holding him close.


	4. Failure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cuphead ends up getting so badly injured during a battle with one of the debtors that he nearly signed his death warrant. Mugman was able to save him, but the aftermath takes a dramatic toll on the both of them.

Cuphead and Mugman stood in front of Cagney Carnation who was glowering down at them. The two boys glared harshly in return.

Cuphead looked at his brother, "Ready, Mugs?"

Mugman nodded, "Ready, Cups."

The two jumped into the battlefield, launching themselves at the monsters, beginning to shoot their lasers at him.

Cagney growled, trying to hit the boys with his vines, but kept failing, especially with Cuphead.

However, Cups abruptly yelled out in pain as he was thrown to the ground by one of Cagney's vines.

"Cups!" Mugs exclaimed, concerned, while dodging Cagney and shooting lasers at him.

Cup grunted, slowly getting up, revealing a crack on his head. He yelped as he was attacked again, being thrown against a tree roughly, falling onto the ground once again.

Mugman gasped and growled, turning back toward Cagney. The blue clad boy gathered up his energy and aimed his lasers right at one of his eyes, literally blowing one of them out.

Cagney screamed in pain, holding his socket with one of his vines.

Mugs took this opportunity to run over to his brother, helping him up.

"Cups, are you okay!?" He exclaimed, alarmed.

"I'm fine..." Cups mumbled in response as he slowly managed to get up.

Mugman gasped at the cracks on his brother's head. One more hit and...

"Cuphead!" Mugman gulped. "I don't know if you can take much more! Why don't you let me take over for now?!"

"No way, Mugs!" Cup riposted stubbornly. "What if you get hurt too!?"

"I won't! I'll be careful, I promise!"

"But Mugs-" Cup's eyes widened. "Mug, get down!" He exclaimed, and when Mugs turned around, he yelped when he was snatched up by Cagney, holding him in a crushing grip. 

Cup tried to grab his hand as Mugman reached out, but no avail.

Cagney cackled wickedly, throwing Mugman from vine to vine. Cuphead growled. "Let him go, you damn prick!"

Cagney only laughed again. "Or what? What will you do? Kill me? Take my soul? Ha! I'd like to see ya try!"

Cup growled, gladly accepting the challenge. He jumped forward and began attacking Cagney, careful not to hit Mugs, who's eyes were filled with concern and fear for his brother. 

After a while, Cups was beginning to become weak. The milk in his head, needed for strength, was halfway empty, he was beginning to feel dizzy, he was bruised all over, the boy was breathing heavily, and he could barely stand.

He wiped his bloody nose with the back of his hand, and decided to go in for one more attack. Trying to aim as directly as possible, Cuphead aimed for Cagney's final eye and shot it out with his lasers. He then jumped up and cut his vines, grabbing Mugman in the process, causing them both to hit the ground.

Mugman screamed in agony as he hit the ground in a different direction, sliding on the dirt hard. As his head hit the ground, his world spun and turned black on him.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Static filled his ears. Mug groaned as he opened his eyes halfway, his vision blurry, and then as he opened them fully, his vision became clearer and was met with the blue sky. The boy groaned, rolling on his side before he forced himself to sit up. He groaned again as he held his head in his hands. The pain of his migraine hit him like a thousand shards of ice.

"Ugh...C-Cuphead?" He muttered, rubbing his head. When he didn't hear a weak mumbled reply, his head shot up and his eyes widened as realization struck him. Mug grunted as he jumped to his feet, his world spinning, nearly falling again, but he kept his balance.

"Cuphead!?" Mug exclaimed, cupping his hands over his mouth. "Cuphead, where are ya!? Cups?! Hello?!"

When there was no reply a second time, Mug chewed his lip, worried. Abruptly, a slight groaning sound rang in his ears. The boy spun around, and when he did, he felt like his heart would stop right then and there.

There was Cagney, fallen and drained on the ground. His roots and vines were scattered all over the place, and he was beyond unconscious. He was gone. And right under him, was Cuphead. There he laid, in the same state as Cagney. Unmoving.

The blue clad cup's eyes filled with silver tears. "Oh golly, Cups... No...no no no no... no, please! Please!"

He rushed over, falling to his knees and grunting as he grabbed hold of Cuphead's limp arm, huffing and puffing, struggling to pull his brother out. Once he did, his horror doubled. There were three cracks in Cup's head, his head was completely empty, there were rips and tears in his clothes, and he was badly bruised all over.

Mugman swallowed hard. "C-Cups," He choked out, shaking his brother. "H-Hey, c'mon. Wake up. W-We won, bro. We got his contract. Come on, get up who we can go take a break and then start again. W-Wake up, Cuphead. I'm n-not in the mood..." He choked on a sob as a few tears fell down his face. "...F-For y-your stupid jokes. I'm serious, C-Cup." 

He shook the older boy harder. "Wake. up. Please. Th-This isn't funny. You're starting to scare me. Please stop it, Cuphead. Quit playing around and open your eyes already. C-Cuphead..."

No movements from Cuphead. Just pure, eerie silence. The only thing that filled the air was Mugman's shrill, uneven and shaky breathing that came out as heavy and harsh gasps.

Tears ran down the other mug's face like a faucet, and it took him a minute before the younger cup finally broke into sobs, grabbing his brother and pulling him onto his lap, holding him there as he gasped through heavy sobs, shaking and quivering like a leaf.

"P-Please C-C-Cup..." He rasped out, "Please. Don't leave me and Gramps. Please. We need you..."

Mugs wasn't sure how long he had cried. But minutes turned into an hour. By then, Mug's crying had turned into soft sniffling and gasps, shaking hard as he clutched at his brother. His eyes glistened with silver tears as some dripped off his face. He tried to inhale and exhale evenly in an effort to calm down, but each time he looked at his brother, his crying fits started all over again.

After his most recent crying fit, he was exhausted. He wanted to go home. He wanted Cuphead to snap open his eyes and yell, "I gotcha, Mugs! You should have seen your face!", and tease him as Mug burst into another fit of tears, screaming and yelling at him about how he had scared him to death, but at the same time go on about how gosh darn relieved he was that he was still alive, and pull him into a tight hug, holding him and sobbing with immense relief.

Mugs wished it was a sick, cruel, twisted joke. He hoped it was a sick, cruel, twisted joke. He wanted to be a sick, cruel, twisted joke. A smile. A snicker. A laugh. A smirk. Anything.  
But deep down, he knew it wasn't. Not in Cup's case. He felt like he was living his worst nightmare. He had never been so terrified in his life. He had never been so mad at Cup in his whole life. How dare he! He had promised Mug a long time ago that he would never leave him! Did he lie to him?!

But he didn't know something like this would happen. His mind reasoned with him. And it isn't your brother's choice whether he pulls through or not. Death is not an option. Never has been. Never will be. If that was the case, he would be jumping up and teasing you. 

Even more tears streamed down his face and Mug resisted the urge to break down again. He only made a small whimpering noise as he buried his face in Cup's chest, his black shirt absorbing Mugman's tears. He sniffled loudly as he hugged him, burying his face in his cold chest even further.

The poor boy stayed like that for a few minutes. Right before he was about to pull away, something tugged at him.

THUMP THUMP. THUMP THUMP. THUMP THUMP. THUMP THUMP. THUMP THUMP. THUMP THUMP. 

Mug gasped shakily and his eyes widened. He pulled back and placed his gloved hand on his brother's chest. Same reaction.

THUMP THUMP. THUMP THUMP. THUMP THUMP. THUMP THUMP. 

Mugman choked on a sob as tears of relief filled his eyes. Cuphead was alive. He was alive. But just barely. If he wanted his brother to stay that way, he had to get home. And fast.

Mug grunted as he picked his brother up in his arms. "Don't worry, bro," He whispered. "You're gonna be just fine, I promise. Just stay with me, okay? Don't leave me."

A small, weak groan came from Cups in response, and Mugs took that as a sign to get going. The boy began running off as fast as he could, his brother securely in his arms.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
For the first few weeks, Cuphead didn't stir while he was in bed. The whole time, Kettle watched carefully over Cuphead in a chair next to his bed, while Mugs kept his distance, hiding behind walls and corners, and peeking out from them. Kettle attempted over and over to get his youngest grandson by his brother's side, but he would always come up with some excuse such as, "Actually, gramps, I'm kinda hungry. I'm gonna go pick up some food. I'll see ya guys in a bit!", or, "Hey, gramps, you mind if I go out for a while? I'm gonna go see how the other debtors are doing", and the last excuse such as, "That's okay, I'm gonna go play outside for a little while.", and he would say nothing else, only walk off.

Kettle couldn't blame his grandson for being scared. His own brother almost died in front of him for goodness sake! If that isn't terrifying and scarring, he didn't know what was. And to have it happen to such a sweet boy like Mugman, especially when he's only a child and has such a strong bond with Cuphead! It just shouldn't go down that way. It isn't fair to him. Not to anybody.

"I'll see ya later, gramps!"

Kettle didn't even get the chance to mouth a "goodbye" to his grandson, as when he turned around, all he saw was the back of the boy speeding off. He sighed. "Oh, son..." He turned back to Cuphead and sighed once again, squeezing his arm gently.

"Please wake up soon, Cuphead..."  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Luckily, Cuphead's injuries were pretty easy to mend. It had been 3 weeks since the boy had awakened, and he was in pretty amazing shape. 

Elder Kettle gently wrapped Cup's arm up in a bandage. Cups winced when he pinched it too hard. "O-Ouch..."

Kettle sighed. "Oh, I'm sorry, son. I'm honestly not used to doing this."

Cup chuckled, "No worries, ol' man, I'm used to this feeling by now."

Kettle smiled, continuing to wrap him up. He got out the glue and began fixing Cup's chips and cracks. "It's just... your brother's so much better at this than I am. He knows exactly how to repair the right way, and the right angles. He's very amazing when it comes to mending." He finished, gluing back on the final chipped piece on his head.

Cup rolled his eyes and chuckled bitterly. "Yeah. If only he were actually here. Can't even take out 5 minutes of his day for me anymore."

Kettle frowned. "Cuphead," He started, walking over and standing in front of him. "Your brother is not trying to hurt you. You do know that, don't you?"

"Heh. Yeah, sure I do."

"Cuphead."

"What?"

Kettle raised a disapproving brow at him. "I don't think you're being very understanding right now."

"What?" Cuphead snapped. "Gramps, I've been completely understanding! I've tried to get him to talk with me, but he just won't... talk, okay!? I've tried every single tactic I know, but it just... ugh! It's not working with him!" He growled, infuriated, and turned away, arms folded smugly over his chest with his glare firm in place.

"Well," Kettle sighed. "Did you try apologizing to him?"

"Of course I di-" Cup startled to ramble, but his eyes widened and he spun around to face his grandfather. "Apologizing!? Gramps, I ain't got nothin' to apologize for!"

"Really?"

"Of course I don't! I didn't do nothin' wrong!"

"You didn't do anything wrong intentionally." Kettle corrected.

"Huh?" Cup asked, confused.

Kettle sighed once more. "Tell me this, Cuphead. Do you know what happened 7 weeks ago?"

"W-Well, yeah! I got hurt in a battle with a debtor. No big deal."

Kettle shook his head. "You almost died, Cuphead."

Cuphead froze, startled. "S-Seriously?" He murmured.

"Yes. You're lucky to have survived." He cleared his throat. "Now. Answer me this. How would you feel if... Mugman saved you, and then your world goes black for the shortest of time, and then when you open your eyes, you find him on the ground. Limp. Not moving."

"I...I don't..." Cup trailed off.

"And no matter what you do, you can't wake him up. As of right then and there, he's dead. There's nothing you can do about it. He's gone forever, and you are never getting him back."

Cup's breath hitched. "G-Gramps, please. I don't wanna-"

"No, Cuphead." Kettle said sternly. "You need to understand."

Cuphead swallowed, looking back up at him cautiously.

"As I was saying. He's dead. As far as you know, he's gone. You've lost him forever. And that guilt is drilling into you like a nail. Because you feel like you could've done something, but you didn't. And now he's not there. Because of you. Or at least, that's the way you feel it is. Now, tell me. How would you feel?"

"...Scared." The red cup answered honestly. "Terrified, honestly. I'd be crying for weeks. I would have never felt so scared in my whole life."

"Mmm." Kettle nodded.

"He'd... be gone..." Cup said, slowly beginning to catch on. "...Forever... and I would never forgive myself. Without him, I'd... see no point in being happy anymore...even if he did survive... I'd be too scared to approach him because I'd be terrified he may disappear again..." He trailed off, looking at his grandfather.

"Now we know how Mugman feels." He nodded.

"I...I didn't know, I just... figured I'd be okay in the end... I didn't know I'd scare him like that..." Cuphead whimpered, now feeling terrible.

"Perhaps we should be less reckless in our decisions, and think about the feelings of those around us, and think about how our actions may affect them, yes?" Kettle asked.

"Yes..." Cuphead sighed shakily. He abruptly hugged his grandpa, startling him. "I'm sorry, Gramps!" He cried. "I'm so sorry! I'll be careful from now on, I promise!"

Kettle chuckled, rubbing his grandson's back. "That's alright, Cuphead. I forgive you. I'm just happy I didn't have to lose a grandson. About that promise... you'll be keeping it for a long time, yes?"

"Yeah! For the rest of my life!"

Kettle laughed, "Very good. I'm proud of you." He pulled away and wiped away the tears in his grandson's eyes. "Now. Why don't you go see your brother? I hear he's at that lake today. The one you two used to go to when you were kids, I believe?"

Cuphead grinned.  
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Mugman sighed, walking over and staring into the reflection of the lake. He huffed tiredly, picking up a few rocks and throwing them, allowing them to skip a few times in the water, causing ripples, before finally falling into the cold blanket of ocean blue.

He smiled a little bit and threw a couple more, beginning to enjoy it. Before he threw another one, one rock abruptly was thrown into the lake in front of him. But he didn't throw it.

"Ya know, I really enjoyed doing that when we were little. Ya dig me, Mugsy?" He heard a familiar voice comment. He froze, looking down into the lake and saw the reflection of his brother behind him with a small, awkward but goofy grin plastered across his face.

"C-Cups!" He said, startled. "Uhh... h-hey. Umm, how ya feeling, bro?"

Cup shrugged. "I'm fine. Gramps wrapped everything up for me. It's all good."

"G-Great." Mug said. "Well, I guess I should head out..." He said, nervously beginning to walk off.

"Hold up, Mugs!" Cup exclaimed, grabbing his brother's shoulder. "I... I wanted to apologize."

Mug looked at him, surprised, but then he looked stern. "What for?"

"You know... freaking you out like that back with Cagney. I didn't mean to. I actually made a promise to be more careful and less rash. Who knows how long that will last." He joked, hoping to brighten things a little bit. When he saw Mug's angry expression, his smile dropped.

"Don't joke about this, Cuphead!" Mug snapped, infuriated, jabbing his finger in his brother's chest. "Quit makin' jokes outta' everything! It's annoying! It's downright rotten! This ain't a laughing matter, ya idiot! This is serious! Knock it off!" He exclaimed, getting up in his brother's face, causing Cup to gulp nervously.

The younger then stomped off and sat down in front of the lake, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"It ain't funny," He repeated, his voice cracking as his eyes filled with tears and they streamed down his face. "It's scary..!" He choked out as he buried his face in his arms just as he broke down into sobs, his shoulders violently wrenching and his little body shaking.

Cuphead looked down, feeling like a cruel jerk all over again. He felt as if making his brother cry twice or more is the most rotten thing he's ever done.

The red cup slowly walked over and sat down next to his brother. "C'mere, Mug," He said softly before grabbing him and hugging him tightly.

"Shhh... it's okay, Mug... I'm okay... shh... it's alright, bro..." Cup soothed as he rubbed Mug's back in circles as the boy sobbed into his chest while gripping onto him like his lifeline.

"I...I was *Hic* S-So scared..."

"Shh... I know... I'm sorry...I'm so sorry... it's okay now...Shh... I gotcha..."

"*Hic* Y-You *Hic* C-Could've died, d- *Hic* dummy!"

"I'll be more careful from now on. I won't be as rash. Shh... it's okay now... I'll be more careful. Okay?"

"P-Please *Hic* P-Promise me, Cuphead"

"I swear. I'll be more careful. Alright?"

"*Hic* O-Okay..."

"Okay. Shh... it's alright, bro... just breathe... I gotcha... it's okay... I'm here... I'm not going anywhere, I promise..." Cups said gently as he continued to rub Mug's back, hugging him tighter.

After a few minutes, Mug's sobbing died down to small sniffles. He was lying down, his head resting on his brother's lap. "I love you, Cuphead." He murmured sleepily.

"I love you too, bro." Cuphead said with a grin, stroking his mug shaped head gently. "So? Am I forgiven?"

Mug smiled tiredly. "Forgotten." He yawned. "Can we go home now? I'm tired..."

Cup chuckled. "Of course we can, bro. C'mon."

The red cup brother tried to get up, but found that something weighed him down. When he looked, he saw Mug fast alsleep with a smile, his head resting on Cup's lap.

Cup rolled his eyes with a grin. "Oh, Mugs..." He sighed. "What am I gonna do with ya?" He picked Mug up in his arms as he stood up, and walked home, glad that everything was okay.


	5. Stormy Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mugman still hasn't gotten over his fear, and Cuphead consoles the embarrassed Mug.

Mugman jumped with a small whimper, burying his face even further into his pillow. The poor boy was shaking and trembling, and the constant crackling and rumbling of thunder and lightning wasn't exactly helping.

It was pouring hard in Inkwell Isle that night, harder than the one time when he and Cups were kids. People were rushing into their homes, and nobody, including the cups and their grandpa, could leave until a few days, it was so horrible.

Luckily, though, Kettle had claimed that the rain would settle by the morning. Mugman wasn't so sure.

Heavy rain fell from the sky outside and was hitting the ground like a thousand hooves of horses, galloping away from an unknown danger. Mugs winced as his blue eyes caught another strike of lightning up in the sky, and he gulped nervously, clenching his bed sheets even tighter. He just wished that this night would end already. He wished that he could go to a faraway place, where there's never any thunder storms and he could sleep in peace for once whenever it rained. But since that wasn't possible, all he could do was whimper, watching the terrifying lightning strikes and hearing the roars of thunder outside his window.

Mugs hated his Astraphobia. He's had it every since he was a little kid. When he would hear endless tortured filled cracks of thunder, he would immediately dive into his brother's arms, seeking comfort as he burst into a fit of sobs, and Cuphead would hug his little brother as tight as he could, gazing down at him with a sympathetic frown, rubbing his back in even circles while humming tunes to him, whispering that it was okay and that there was nothing to be scared of, and that he was there, and every now and then kiss his brother's mug shaped head, or his blue nose.

Mug has always depended on Cuphead, but whenever he got scared like that, it was one of those times where he needed his brother the most. Cups didn't mind staying up and comforting his brother. What was important to him was that the younger boy got to sleep peacefully in the end, and he didn't have to be crying all night, terrified.

Not only did Mugman hate his problem, but he was also ashamed of it. He would think as a now 12-year-old mug, he would be over such childish fears. But alas, he wasn't. And that made him feel even more disgusted with himself.

Above him in the top bunk, was Cuphead. The older boy was fast asleep, dressed in his red pajamas, wrapped up tight in his red blanket and white sheets, lying on his side with his gloved hands spread out across each other and balled up into small fists, his chest rising with each inhale and falling with each exhale. His snores were petite and quiet, so much that they barely made a sound. But they still filled the room as the boy slept away.

CRACK!

Mugs let out a small yelp as tears filled his eyes, beyond terrified. His breathing hitched a few notches and he began shaking and trembling all over, and before he knew it, tears were cascading down his face rapidly like a waterfall.

Swallowing, he cautiously looked up at his brother's bunk, the source of the soft snores filling the room.

He was at the crossroads at going up to his brother, and sleeping in the safety of his arms for the rest of the night, or enduring the fear down on his one for the next at least more than 12 hours.

Mug frowned guiltily at the thought of waking Cup up. The red cup deserved the sleep, considering how hard the older boy's been working the past few days. He didn't want Cups to be angry with him. But still…

CRACK!

The blue clad boy jumped one last time and made his decision. He jumped out of bed, almost falling to the ground. He gulped before climbing up the ladder that lead to Cup's bed. Once he was up there, he shook his peacefully sleeping brother.

"Cuphead…" He whimpered. No answer. Tears flooded his eyes and he shook the other boy. "Hey, wake up, Cuppy!" He choked on a sob, "Cuphead, please! Cuphead!"

A pair of crimson eyes shot open at hearing his brother's tearful voice, and he was startled to see Mug up on his bed.

"M-Mugs?" Cups mumbled sleepily and yawned. "What're you doing..-" He paused and his eyes widened at the tears running down the young mug's face. "Wha-hey, Mugsy! What's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

Mug didn't answer, and before he could, another roar of thunder filled the air, causing his adrenaline to run. Cup jumped, startled, and glanced out the window, only to grunt with surprise when he looked back as Mugs catapulted himself against Cup's chest, wrapping his arms around him and sobbed uncontrollably, quivering badly.

"C-Cuppy…I'm scared… *Hic* M-Make it st- *Hic* stop!"

Cup's face softened and he rubbed his brother's back. "Aww, Mugsy…" He sighed. He knew that his poor brother hadn't gotten over his fear just yet. He felt terrible that Mugs had to suffer through this still. It wasn't fair. Mug was so sweet. Too sweet. The mug was even too sweet to be Cup's brother. Mugman was so innocent. So pure. Here Cups was, an empty headed child who risked so many things half the time, mainly his life, while his brother, who depended on him so much, got to be worried sick and scared of losing him.

Cup knew that Mug wouldn't know what to do if anything ever happened to him. Which was why he always tried to be more careful. For Mug's sake. For his, too.

"Hey, shh… it's okay, Mugs. There's nothin' to be scared of. It's alright, I'm here. It's okay, Mugsy…" Cups said gently, holding his brother tightly in the protection of his arms.

Each time there was a roar of thunder outside, Cup hugged him even tighter as Mugs clenched his brother's shirt. The older boy continued comforting the younger, stroking his back and mouthing words of encouragement while wearing a small smile.

"...C-Cup?" Mugs abruptly asked, now calmed down a little bit.

"What's up, Mugs?" Cups riposted swiftly, wondering about what his brother wanted to say.

"...Do… Do you think I'm w-weak?"

Cups gaped, "What? No way, Mugs! You ain't weak! How could you say that?!"

"It's just…" Mug mumbled, leaning forward and burying his face in Cup's shoulder. "I should be over this stupid childhood fear by now. It's dumb of me to be crying over something so little still, especially at our age. It's just plain pathetic…"

"No it ain't, Mugman. There's nothing wrong with being scared still. It's not just a childhood fear, it's astraphobia. And you can't help the fact that you didn't get over it yet. Tons of kids don't get rid of it til' they're as old as Gramps. But you'll beat it soon, Mugsy, I'm sure ya will. Ya just need a little longer then ya thought ya would. But I promise ya, you'll get rid of it soon, and once ya do, you'll be happy that you were patient. Promise."

Mug, with a sniffle and some tears rolling down his face, gradually looked back up at his brother. Cups flashed that goofy, confident yet soothing grin of his and wiped his little brother's tears away, causing Mugs to smile in response after a minute, knowing that Cup was serious.

The blue clad brother snuggled into Cups, his head resting against Cup's chest. Cuphead pulled his red blanket over them, his one arm wrapped around Mugs, and another keeping him close. Mugs sighed in content.

"Thanks, Cup. You're the best." He yawned. "Sorry for wakin' ya up…"

"Eh, it's no sweat, bro. Ya feel better?"

"...Mhmm…."

"Then that's all that matters. Don't worry about things, bro. It'll be just fine."

"Okay." Mug yawned again, burying his head in Cup's shoulder. "Thanks, Cup…"

"No problem, Mug. Love ya."

"I love ya too…"

Mugs then closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, using Cup's chest as he pillow. He couldn't wait to get rid of his astraphobia, but he wasn't in a big rush to at the same time. Because he knew that Cup would always be there for him. And that's one thing that will never change.


	7. Drabbles Character Info

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I just wanted to give you some info on Cups and Mugs in my Drabbles Series!!

Mugman

Age:10-12(Currently)

Family Member(s):Cuphead(Older Twin Brother), Elder Kettle(Grandfather), Pumpkin Spice(Mother;Deceased), Cocoa(Father;Deceased)

Hobbie(s):Reading, Drawing, Playing Outside

Enemie(s): The Devil, King Dice, Devil's Minions

Memorable Aspect(s): Kind, Loving, Sweet, Brave, Generous, Protective, Selfless, Cautious, Heroic, Tender, Sympathetic, Cool-headed, Understanding, Compassionate, Benevolent, Openhanded, Noble, Chivalrous, Inviolable, Timid, Shy, Easily flustered at times, Calm, Relaxed, Altruistic, Easy-Going

Personality

Growing up, Mugman was a sensitive crybaby and extremely dependent, especially on his brother and grandfather, perhaps even more dependent on Cuphead than anyone else, considering how his brother is always there for him. He was extremely insecure as a child, as he couldn't understand why some people didn't like him, but deep down, he knew it was because of living in his brother's shadow. Because of this, he always tried to please people, sometimes even going a little too far, and risking a little too much. Once, he even risked almost losing Cuphead, by trying to be better than him so people would like him more, in which he succeeded, but nearly lost his best friend. Once his brother opened his eyes to the fact that not everybody needs to love him, he stopped trying to impress people and only cared about what his brother thought of him from now on. However, Mugs still looked up to Cups as his idol for many years, as he still thought he could never reach his brother's level.

Now that Mugman is older, he is still quite dependent, but not as much of a sensitive crybaby anymore, at least, not like he used to be. Mugs now knows that him and Cuphead are on the same pedestal, but at times feels bad because he feels he's a heavy load on Cuphead's shoulders which holds him back. Despite Cup's protests, Mug feels now and then that he's not strong enough, and that he's too weak to be Cuphead's brother and that Cup would be better off without him. But this feeling quickly passes once he remembers how much Cuphead means to him, vice versa. Even though Cups is older than Mug, Mugman easily sees his brother's immaturity and recklessness, and sometimes wonders, with a roll of his eyes and a smirk, why he isn't the older one and why Cup isn't the kid brother. Despite that thought process, Mug is fully aware to how much of a good job Cuphead does when it comes to being the big brother, and is extremely grateful that he has a brother like him, therefore he, at most times, quite easily pushes away Cup's flaws and keeps in mind that his brother has always been there for him since day one.

Mugs is also very careful and cautious, especially with Cuphead. Mug is always the one to keep Cup out of trouble, as he fears Cup's rash decisions may lead to unbearable consequences, for ex. the incident with the devil that brought on the infamous bet. Even now, Mugman is very protective of Cuphead. After the saga with the debtors due to the bet with the devil, and seeing his brother get hurt many times, sometimes even almost die, Mugs gets scared easily when Cup makes rash and stupid choices, and immediately jumps in and helps, as he's terrified that he may lose his brother if he doesn't.

Mugman is an extremely loving boy, and he would sacrifice anything, including his life, to keep his loved ones safe at all times.

Fun Facts  
-When Mugman isn't with Cuphead, playing with his brother, he is usually at home reading a book, drawing, or getting the food on for dinner that night

-Even though his grandfather is amazing, Mugs is the best cook that there is in the family, and his grandfather, brother, and everyone else loves his cooking, but Cuphead is the one who loves it the most

-Despite the fact that Mugs is pretty overprotective with Cuphead and his decisions, he once in a while stays laid-back as long as Cup's stunts are not too rash, and joins in on the fun

-During rainy days, Mug spends his time inside with Cuphead, playing games with his brother, talking with him, or watching TV with him. When, at one point, Mug gets sleepy, he snuggles up against Cuphead, resting his head against Cup's chest, using it as his pillow, and falls asleep peacefully with his arms wrapped tightly and protectively around his brother

-When it comes to girls, Mugman gets easily flustered, shy, scared and nervous. However, it doesn't last for long because he knows that he can always count on Cups to help him out   
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Cuphead

Age:10-12(Currently)

Family Member(s):Mugman(Younger Twin Brother), Elder Kettle(Grandfather), Pumpkin Spice(Mother; Deceased),Cocoa(Father; Deceased)

Hobbie(s):Playing, Drawing, Performing Stunts, Reading

Enemies(s):The Devil, King Dice, The Devil's Minions

Memorable Aspect(s):Cocky, Sweet, Emptyheaded yet kind hearted, Selfless, Brave, Courageous, Undaunted, Tenacious, Carefree, Laid-Back, Self-Sacrificing, Valiant, Bold, Daredevil, Heroic, Audacious, Very cheeky, Reckless, Foolhardy, Loving, Caring, Forgiving, Hot-headed, Intrepid, Inviolable, Indomitable, Charming

Personality

When Cuphead was little, he was an extremely daring boy, and he always dragged his brother along to do crazy things all the time. Cups was extremely laid back for the most part, and didn't get bothered that easily. He tended not to worry about things to often, no matter the situation, as he knew that things would eventually work themselves out on their own. Cups never really saw himself as the "stronger" brother between him and Mugman, as he always felt like they were on the same page, regardless of what other people say. Cup barely cried at all when he was a kid, even when he got bad chips and cracks when he fell down, he refused to shed a tear, no matter how badly the chip or crack ached. Cup could never truly understand why Mug wanted people to like him, as he personally thought him and his grandfather loving Mugs was enough. He got angry easily when he heard about how concerned Mug was about other kids loving him, resulting in him and his brother getting into a couple of fights. However, once Cups found out the reason why Mugman cared so much, which was because he was being bullied, Cups not only felt bad, but was infuriated. Cup immediately put an end to Mug's bullying, swearing that if he ever caught the jerks treating his brother like that again, he would hunt them down, and make the bullies regret ever meeting him. After the bullying incident, Cup was sure to stay by Mug's side at all times and protect him, which resulted in their bond with each other growing, therefore they became extremely close, becoming best friends.

Since Cups is older now, his recklessness has not decreased, but instead increased. Cup enjoys performing his stunts and messing around more than ever before, and ignores his grandfather and brother when they tell him, "Cuphead! When are you gonna grow out of this stage already!?", to which Cup replies, "It ain't no stage. It's just me. And why would I want ta change anyways? It's too much fun!", throwing in a teasing smirk and a goofy grin. Which is correct, Cuphead is not going through a "stage", it's just Cuphead being normal, charming, emptyheaded yet fun loving Cuphead. Cups is a huge risk taker, and sometimes he takes it way too far, resulting in his brother being worried sick and scared for him. Most times, Cup aims to think about his actions before he performs them, as he knows how overprotective Mug can get, and one of the things that he hates the most is scaring or worrying his brother. One of Cup's top priorities is to keep his brother safe at all times, which he is successful in. Despite the rough exterior Cup puts on, he can get hurt easily, but that's mainly with Mugman whenever they get into fights or arguments with each other. Cuphead doesn't stay mad at his brother long, for he is the one who usually apologizes first. Usually when arguments happens, Cup gets out for a while to cool off, but doesn't wander too far, mainly because one time he wandered too far and got lost, and once his grandfather and brother found him after 5 hours, Mug was basically in tears, and before the red cup knew it, Mugman was basically in his arms, sobbing and shaking while calling him a moron and dumb idiot, and telling him to never do that again.

Cuphead's pretty overprotective of Mugman, and likes to make sure that he doesn't get hurt too much. The older boy, at times, feels like Mugs can go a little too far when it comes to being protective in return, but swiftly remembers that there were more times where Mugs almost lost Cups, more times then where Cup almost lost Mug. Originally, Cup didn't want Mug getting involved in the bet that he made with the devil, because he didn't want his brother to get hurt or die because of him, and they got into a fight to the point where he made Mug cry, and Cups slowly let his guard down once he heard his brother explain in sobs how much it means to him that he goes, and how Mug would never be able to forgive himself if something ever happened to Cups. After the saga with the devil, Cup tries his hardest to not be as reckless, at least to the point where they'll never get near that casino again.

Cuphead has an undying love for his little brother, and does everything that he can to keep him safe. Even if it means he gets hurt in the process, all that matters to Cups is that Mug is happy.

Fun Facts  
-Cuphead loves doing many reckless things, but one of his favorite stunts to do is zip lining, as he enjoys it a whole lot and believes that it's a lot of fun

-Cuphead is the opposite of his brother when it comes to girls. While Mugman is all shy and flustered, Cups is all laid-back, charming, cool, and all natural with the ladies

-Cups enjoys his brother's food a whole lot, and even has a couple of favorite dishes that Mugman makes

-Whenever his grandfather is out, Cuphead is always sure to protect his brother, take care of him and keep him safe until he comes back

-Before his father died, Cuphead was extremely close with him. He's the one who misses his dad the most, but remembers that he still has his brother and grandfather, and is grateful for that. He also got all of his qualities from his dad as well


	8. Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Cuphead and Mugman bet their souls, Cuphead wants Mugman out of harm's way and tries to send him home. But Mugman isn't leaving his reckless brother. Not now, not ever.

Cuphead grunted in pain as he was thrown out of the casino by the devil. He groaned, slowly getting to his feet.

The red clad boy's eyes widened as he heard Mugman yelp, and he caught his brother before he hit the ground.

"You okay?" Cups asked, steadying his little brother.

Mugs shook his head. "No, not really."

Cup sighed, and scowled once he saw Dice at the doors, a smug smirk plastered on his face.

Dice sighed. "Greedy, Greedy Cuphead. You just had to have that money, didn't you? Thought you would get all the fame and fortune, but look where you are now , I suppose we'll see you at midnight. If you survive, that is."

With a laugh, Dice turned and walked back inside, the doors slamming behind him.

Cup growled, and he looked like he was about to run in after him and kick his ass, but Mugs quickly grabbed his brother's arm and shook his head, some milk spilling out.

"No, Cup! Don't! That's enough. Please. Let's just go."

Cup huffed, dropping his fists once he saw the desperate look in his brother's eyes. Mugman left ahead of him, and Cups slowly trailed behind him.

The walk was painfully silent for both boys.

Mugs, on one hand, wanted to talk and comfort his brother, and encourage him, claiming how certain he was that they would be able to do this.

However, on another, he didn't know if he was angry at Cuphead, or just upset with him.

His brother had dragged him to the devil's casino, and before his very eyes, he had gambled their very souls for money, and now they had to, just had to wander the isles for the debtor's souls.

Cup had done many, many impish, childish, stupid, and reckless things the 10 years Mug had been his brother, but this… this just terrified the younger boy. He wasn't concerned about his own safety. It was Cuphead he was worried about.

Meanwhile, Cup was lost in his own thoughts filled with guilt, anger, and sorrow.

How could he let this happen? It wouldn't have been as bad had it been just him, but what killed him was that he dragged his brother, his flesh and blood, his best friend into this stupid mess.

He had made a reckless decision, and now his brother had to pay the price for it by going along with him on this stupid, worthless journey.

He avoided Mug's blue eyes, as he couldn't stand seeing the sadness in them.

They weren't even close to halfway home when Mug claimed that his ankle hurt, and that he felt terrible all over.

Cup grunted as he picked his brother up in his arms. "You holdin' on?"

The younger boy wrapped his arms around Cuphead's neck tightly before nodding and the red clad began walking off.

"We ain't gonna be able to go home tonight. We're too far." Cups stated. "We're gonna have to camp out tonight, alright, Mugs?"

Mug said nothing, only nodded and buried his face in Cup's chest, listening to Cup's heartbeat before slowly closing his eyes.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Mug was fast asleep, turned over on his own side, with his back turned to Cuphead. Cups had his back to the younger boy as well, and he himself was in a very deep sleep.

Abruptly, the younger boy shot up with a sharp gasp, shaking, and his eyes watering. Swallowing hard, he slowly looked towards his brother.

The blue clad boy gradually got to his feet and went over to Cup.

Lying down, he snuggled close next to Cups, wrapping his arms around him from behind.

He knew Cup was awake.

"You okay?" Came Cup's sleepy, exhausted, and energy drained voice. The older boy squeezed his brother's gloved hand that was wrapped firmly around his chest.

"Can I sleep here, Cups?"

"Sure."

Cup tiredly rolled on his side, facing Mug, and the younger wrapped his arms around him tightly, snuggling up as close as possible to him, burying his face in his warm chest.

Cup yawned sleepily, stroking Mug's head. He opened his mouth.

"Don't say it" Came his brother's muffled voice.

Cup blinked, confused. "Eh? Say what…?"

"You know what. 'It's my fault', 'I never should of brought you along', 'I'm sorry', 'It's okay if you're mad, I deserve it'. I've heard it all before, Cup. I've known you for 10 years. Don't try and play dumb. It doesn't work on me."

"Are ya?"

"Am I what?"

"Angry" Cup said. His voice sounded a little ashamed, like he was worried that Mug truly was mad at him.

Mug shook his head, burying his face deeper in his brother's shirt. "No…you idiot, I'm not mad. It's just… you acted like such a dummy today. You didn't even think about your safety before you rolled that stupid dice. I don't… I don't…"

"Ya don't what?" Cup questioned with a frown.

Mug mumbled something inaudible, causing his frown to deepen.

"What was that?"

".….I don't wanna lose you…." Mug whimpered, gripping at his brother's shirt as he banished tears from his blue eyes, before closing them and leaning his full weight into Cuphead.

Cup bit his lip, looking down. He opened his mouth once again, but no words came out. He didn't know what to say.

Nothing else was said for the rest of the night.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Cup, where are we going?" Mugman asked the next day with a frown. They were walking down a trail, a familiar trail that Mug recognized. Too well.

"Cuphead." He repeated more sternly when he got no answer, and Cups merely glanced at him.

"Hmm?"

"Where. Are. We going?"

Cup sighed. "Home, Mugs."

Mug's eyes widened in shock. "W-What?! But, Cups! We gotta collect those contracts! We gotta-"

"No, I have ta collect those contracts. You're staying home, out of harm's way."

Mugs scowled, running up ahead and in front of his brother. "But why!? I don't wanna go home, Cup! I wanna stay with you!"

Cups narrowed his eyes. "Here's the thing; that ain't an option. I ain't gonna let my little brother fight monsters with me! Not happening!"

"Will you knock it off?! I'm not a baby, Cup! I'm 10! And I don't need you protecting me! I got dragged into this, so I'm gonna finish the task with you!"

"No. You're going home and staying there with gramps, and that's final." Cup stated firmly, beginning to feel angry.

"I'm staying with you, and that's final." Mug stated in the same tone.

"I'm serious, Mugs."

"So am I. I'm not leaving you, Cup."

"Fine. You asked for it." Cup said and pointed his fingers at Mug, locking into shooting position, and they began to glow blue.

"Y-You wouldn't.." Mug stammered.

"I know I wouldn't. I would never hurt you, Mug, ya know that. But unless you turn around and go home now, then I'm gonna have to force ya."

Mugs scowled, and locked his fingers in position as well, glowing red. "I said no. I'm not going anywhere."

"You're really starting ta piss me off, ya know that? Go home, Mug!"

"What's gotten into you!?" Mug blurted, glaring at Cup, his eyes burning. "You seriously think I'm gonna leave my own brother out here alone?! You can't do this by yourself! You'll die!" He exclaimed, beginning to quiver like a leaf.

Cups shook his head. "I don't care. It's better than you dying by my side, due to some stupid mistake I made!"

"How can you say that?! Listen to yourself! You don't even care about dying! What's wrong with you?!" Mug yelled, unbidden tears coming to his eyes.

"Mugman, I swear, if you don't go home now-"

"STOP IT!"

Cup jumped at his brother's scream. Mugman's trembling hands were balled into fists, he was quivering badly, tears running down his face.

"Stop saying such stupid things! Just shut up! Listen, I know that you don't care about dying, but I do!"

Cup's hand slowly fell down by his side, and he gazed at his brother with a grave expression.

"I mean, what if something happened to you?! What if you died?! I can't lose you, Cup, I need you! I need you…"

Mugs began to choke, then hiccup as tears streamed down his face, and he finally broke into sobs.

"If something happened to you, Cuphead, I'd never be able to forgive myself! It'd be all my fault…!"

Cup sighed softly, slowly beginning to feel his guard go down. "C'mon, Mug, no it wouldn't…"

"Yes it would!" Mug exclaimed tearfully, causing Cup's red eyes to widen in surprise.

"It'd be my fault because I didn't go with you! It'd be my fault that since I didn't go with you, then I didn't stop you from making those reckless and stupid choices with the debtors! And by the way, it'd be your fault that I would be depressed for the rest of my life because you didn't let me go! I don't wanna live without a brother! Please don't make me, Cuphead!" He bawled.

Cups looked down with a guilty frown, biting his lip.

Mug shakily walked over and jabbed his finger weakly in his brother's chest.

"I…t-thought y-you wanted me t-to be h-happy…." He choked out, his sobs making it hard for the younger boy to talk.

"Don't give me that, Mugs. Of course I want ya ta be happy, ya know that!" Cup stated sternly, yet softly.

"Th-Then l-let m-me go w-with you… please…Don't push me away, Cup. L-Let me st-stay, please!"

Cups sighed heavily, his chest rising and falling slowly. "Okay. Alright, Alright, you can come with me."

Mug held his breath.

"But only if you're careful, okay? I don't want you getting hurt too much in battle or nothin' like that."

"I-I'll be careful, I promise!" Mug swore, sniffling.

"...Okay."

Mugman wrapped his arms around his brother's neck and buried his face in his black shirt, trembling.

"Th-Thanks, C-Cup…I love you…" He sobbed quietly, and Cup could feel Mug's warm tears on his chest.

"I love ya too, Mugsy. It's alright, everything's gonna be okay, I promise." Cup said, rubbing his brother's back. "I-I know you don't want me ta say it, but… I'm sorry for being a idiot. I don't mean with just that bet."

"Cup." Mug cut in quietly. "I told you, I could never be happy if you went without me. You're a real reckless idiot, but you're my brother, and not only that, you're well.. you're my best friend. I can't handle the thought of you dying. Remember the one time when we were kids? You scared the crud outta me…"

*Flashback*  
"C-C-Cuphead!" Mugman exclaimed tearfully, shaking the semi-conscious boy. "C-C'mon… stay awake… just a little bit further… hold on, please!"

Cup's world blurred in and out before him. He could barely make out his brother's face.

He only managed to groan as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out once more. 

*End Flashback*

Mugman could feel Cuphead flinch and tremble at the vivid memory.

"Y-Yeah, I remember." Cup mumbled, shivering with a frown as he remembered Mug's panicked scream for him to wake back up.

A sob caused his heart to jump slightly, and he looked back down to see Mug's head buried against his chest with his hand clenching at his shirt.

"H-Hey, c'mon, Mugs. It's okay. I'm sorry. I'm an idiot. Ya forgive me?" Cup cooed as he lifted his brother's face up and kissed his forehead.

"You promise you'll never talk like that again?"

"I promise, Mugsy."

"Okay. I love ya, you idiot, I just wanna protect you like you've always protected me. You know I love you a whole lot, don't cha, Cups?"

With his face dry, he leaned up and did something that he hadn't done for a while; he kissed his brother affectionately on the cheek, causing Cups to blush sheepishly, a smile appearing on his lips.

"Yeah…I know, Mug." He murmured, giving his brother a tight squeeze.

Mugs grinned and pulled away, running up ahead. "C'mon, Cup! I'll race ya to the next debtor!" He exclaimed before speeding off into the distance.

Cuphead chuckled,"Hey, bro, no fair!" He called before running after his brother with a big grin on his face.


	9. Bickering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stress of this dangerous journey get to the two boys causing Cuphead and Mugman to get into an argument.

Cuphead was sitting on a tree stump wordlessly, the tree above it shading him and his brother from the sun as Mugman treated his wounds.

Cuphead had a gash on his arm, another on his leg, and a few other pretty bad injuries to be named.

Mugman did his best not to wince at the blood as he wrapped them up the best he could with some gauze.

"Cup?" Mugs asked abruptly, and when his brother didn't answer, he repeated his name once again, except more firmly. "Cuphead!"

"Huh? What?" Cup riposted as he snapped out of his daze, his voice distant. "What were you saying, Mug?"

"I said, lift up your shirt."

Cuphead groaned. "Mugs, do I really have to?"

"Please, Cup. Let me help you."

".…Fine"

The red clad lifted up his shirt as he was told, and Mugman was shocked with an expression of awe as he stared at a bloody gash across Cuphead's chest.

"Golly, Cuphead!" Mugman said, his voice coming out louder and more shaky than he had intended it to. "How'd ya get that?!"

Cuphead merely shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, he just gave me one hard blow or somethin'. Didn't know it'd end up like this."

Mugman huffed, all out of frustration, fear, and relief, and got out a cloth as he knelt down.

Cuphead lifted up his shirt more before finally taking it off completely so it would be easier for his brother.

Plus, he had some other injuries, too.

The older boy kept his gaze averted away from Mug as he treated his wounds.

Mugman used the cloth that he had wet prior and began treating one of Cup's wounds, wiping the blood off.

No matter how much Mugs told his brother to be careful, Cup always came out of battle with some kind of injury. It didn't matter what the injury was-it was always bad. Scratches, cuts, bruises, etc.

But what worried Mug was Cups was getting more gashes than he ever has. Which means he isn't watching his back like he's supposed to be on the battlefield.

/Idiot./ Mug thought as he continued to cleanse the wound.

He couldn't totally blame Cuphead. After all, Cup had a job to protect Mug in battle, too. But still. His brother needed to be more careful. Otherwise…well….

Cuphead secretly stole glances at his brother as he cleansed the wound on his chest.

The red clad bit back a hiss of pain as Mugs wrapped some gauze around his collar bone before going to his leg and cleansing it, wrapping gauze around it, and repeating the actions with his arms.

Cuphead felt a little bad that he got so hurt in the last battle with one of the debtors. A little. Golly, he couldn't help the fact that he was so gosh darn fast! It also wasn't his fault that he failed to dodge a few times.

The debtor could just be so, so fast at times. It distracted the boy, and he found it hard to catch up with him, not to mention protect his brother from getting too hurt at the same time.

Cuphead didn't care what anyone had to think or say about his reckless and foolish actions. He didn't care that he was so hurt, either. He'd rather it be him then Mugman.

Mugs let out a sigh as he finished mending Cuphead's last cut on his back and wrapped it up.

"Y'know, Cuphead, you really outta be more careful." He uttered as said boy slowly and painfully pulled his shirt back on.

"I mean, you got cut up pretty bad this time. It could have been a whole lot more serious."

Cup, being his careless, carefree and laid-back self merely shrugged. "It ain't a big deal, Mugsy. I'm still standing, aren't I? It's fine."

"I-I know, b-but…" Mug sputtered, "This time was different. You could have been really hurt. This needs to stop, Cup."

"...Thanks for wrappin' me up. Now c'mon. We need to go fight the next debtor." Cuphead stated, ignoring his brother, before standing up shakily, but the minute he took a few steps forward, his whole world spun, and Mug's eyes dilated as he rushed to catch him.

"Fight the next debtor!?" Mug repeated in awe. "You can barely stand! Face it, you're too hurt! We need to take a break for a while!"

Cup suddenly glared, pushing himself away from Mug, catching himself before he fell again. "A while!? We don't have a while, Mugman! The contracts are due at Midnight! We've got no time for breaks! We've gotta fight all of 'em and get the contracts no matter what!"

Mug narrowed his eyes in return. "What you've really gotta do is slow it down, Cuphead. You're getting way too carried away. There's been multiple times where you got really hurt or even worse, almost died, and last time I checked, that's too many!"

Cups growled, "Listen, Mugs, this is my fight-"

"Hold up! Your fight…? Cup, your talking like your soul is the only one that got bet! This doesn't just affect you, it affects me, gramps, and all of Inkwell Isle! So stop acting like a gosh darn brat!"

"I ain't bein' no brat! I'm just sayin', maybe I don't give a dang that I'm gettin' this hurt! I'm tellin' ya, it ain't that big a' deal! Now c'mon, let's go fight some more!"

"No." Mug said firmly. "I'm not gonna let you get more hurt Cup. That's not gonna happen. 'Cause I won't let it."

"Outta the way, Mugman." Cups hissed. "If ya didn't wanna see this, ya shouldn't of come along in the first place."

"What was I supposed to do!?" Mugman exclaimed angrily. "Stay home and watch you die!? Cups, if I weren't with ya, you'd be twice as hurt as ya are now!"

"Well maybe I don't care!" Cuphead exclaimed just as angry in return. "Maybe I don't care what you did or didn't do, Mugman! Maybe I don't care how hurt I am or how hurt I would be! Or what happens to me! And maybe you should have just stayed home so I can handle this on my own! I don't need you here, Mug! I wish you'd just leave!"

Mugman finally exploded. "You know what, Cuphead!? You are so damn immature and childish sometimes! Not only that, you're greedy and selfish! I'm always getting dragged into your messes, including this stupid bet! Do you realize if it hadn't been for you, we could be playing at home?! No, of course you don't! SOMETIMES I WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN AND I NEVER HAD A BROTHER TO BEGIN WITH! THAT WAY I WOULDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOU ALWAYS MESSING UP MY LIFE!"

The minute those words left Mug's mouth, his eyes widened and his heart pounded. He began to panic. What did he just say!? He gradually looked up at his brother, hoping he knew he didn't mean it.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Cup looked like he had just been punched, or like someone had just taken an arrow and shot it right through his heart. His heart ached the more and more his brother's words processed in his brain, echoing.

The more and more the pain became unbearable.

The older boy swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat.

He was unsuccessful in doing so, and he began to shake, choking sounds escaping his throat as tears abruptly filled his eyes, and his chest began to heave as he gasped.

Cups fell to his knees, hiding his face in his gloved hands as he sobbed loudly and uncontrollably, choking and gasping, his chest heaving shakily, heavily and rapidly up and down as each shaky, uneven breath and gasp came out, his shoulders violently wrenching at the intensity of his sobs.

Mugman watched with sorrow, not to mention guilt and shame. Seeing Cup cry, something he barely ever did in his whole life, was just enough to make his heart hurt. Especially if it was because of him.

"C-Cups…" Mugs stammered, feeling bad. "C-C'mon bro… you know I didn't mean it…don't you? Don't cry, Cuphead. Please? I was wrong. I never should've said any of that."

"N-No…" Cuphead sobbed. "Y-You're right. A-About everything. I'm always d-doing st-stupid t-things,

a-and y-you a-always get d-dragged a-along. I-It w-would have been better if I w-were n-never b-born…" He choked out and continued to bawl.

Mug gaped at his brother's words. "N-No, Cuppy! Don't say that!" He whimpered before running over and kneeling down next to his brother.

"Cuphead…." Mug murmured before reaching out and rubbing his brother's trembling back. "You're wrong. I would never wish for you not to be born and mean it. You know that. I could never be happy if you weren't my brother. I have a whole lot of fun with you. You're always looking out for me. You're always there for me too. You're a really good friend and a really good brother. I wouldn't trade you for the whole world. Besides, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have any fun in my life. You're really fun to be around, and I enjoy having you around, and I'm sorry that I don't mention it a lot. But it's true. I'm serious, Cup. I really love ya." He finished with a grin.

Cuphead's sobs had died down into small whimpers, and he sniffled, looking at the younger boy, some tears still spilling from his eyes.

"Y-Ya r-really m-mean that, M-Mugsy?" He croaked, throat hoarse from crying, and his eyes red-rimmed.

Mugman wrapped his older brother in a tight hug, startling the latter. "'Course I do, dummy, why wouldn't I? You're my brother. I love ya. And I'll never stop loving ya. I'm also sorry for hurting you. But just know whatever I say when I'm mad doesn't matter, because no matter what I say doesn't mean I don't care about ya."

Cups sniffled one last time before gradually wiping his eyes with the back of his hands and gave a tearful grin, hugging the blue clad and burying his face in his shoulder.

"Thanks, Mugs. I forgive ya…and I love ya too" He murmured tiredly.

Mugman grinned and relief and heaved a huge sigh he hadn't realized he had been holding in, snuggling up to his brother even more with a big smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Bye!


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